Nearly two years later, and Overwatch continues to evolve. As proof, yesterday marked the beginning of the official Overwatch eSport, the Overwatch League.

The Overwatch League got into full swing, yesterday, and there are plenty of places to check it out. Twitch swooped in at the last minute, securing an exclusivity deal with the event. But that isn’t your only option, though it’s an option that has many gamers happy. There’s also the Overwatch League app for smart phone. On it, not only are you able to view the games, but also several other little ancillary videos and the like that help really boost the experience.

Day-1 matches included the San Francisco Shock vs. The Los Angeles Valiant, the Shanghai Dragons vs. the Los Angeles Gladiators, and the Dallas Fuel vs. the Seoul Dynasty. The event was intense… is what I’d like to be able to say. However, the first two matches are far from it. The Shock was completely shut out by the Valiant. And the Dragons were straight up manhandled by the Gladiators. It wasn’t pretty. The highlight of the night, however, was the all-star match between the Dallas Fuel and the Seoul Dynasty.

In the end, the Dynasty pulled out a win. And, really, it was expected. The South Korea-based team simply has the best players in the world. Which isn’t to say the Fuel didn’t put up a serious fight. They did. They practically breezed through their first map of the night – Junkertown, showing us exactly how a team should coordinate. However, this took a bit of a turn on the second map, Anubis. In fairness, most players have a tough time defending Anubis, but their showing in defending that map was… honestly just embarrassing. They repeated the same failing defensive tactic against the Dynasty twice, only going so far as to slightly change up positioning the second time, when a shift of comp would have benefitted them far more.

This comes as a disappointment considering the main draw of the team – quirky, experimental tactics and a willingness to change things up. Instead they stubbornly brought out the same tactics on that map again, and again. Which is the last thing any team wants to do against the Dynasty – a team known for analyzing and adapting to the strategies of their opponents. I’d been rooting for the Fuel. And they are still my favorite of the Overwatch League’s teams. I even got the Tracer skin to support them and outfitted all the characters with the spray of their logo. But they didn’t really come to play on that map. What’s worse, they were basically shut out of map three, and could only force a draw on the final map – Numbani, costing them the game.

Still, the Overwatch League is nowhere near over, and there are certainly going to be some more exciting matches to look forward to. Today’s matches include the London Spitfire vs. the Florida Mayhem, the Philadelphia Fusion vs. the Houston Outlaws, and the Boston Uprising vs. the New York Excelsior. Of the three, the latter is shaping up to be the most interesting. Though I am keeping an eye on the Fusion. I didn’t see anything of them in the pre-season. Were they even in the pre-season? But the Outlaws aren’t pushovers. So maybe that’ll be a fun match. A Dark Horse versus a known contender, if you will. But all eyes are on the Uprising and Excelsior, tomorrow. That promises to be an intense match. Hopefully as close as the Fuel vs. the Dynasty.

It’s especially interesting considering where things are in the meta right now, with Mercy being as powerful as she is. Blizzard gave her a massive rework, not terribly long ago, and they’ve been tweaking her ever since. Mostly just nerfing her. It’s since gotten to the point where she’s basically on every team comp you’re going to see people running. And seeing how the pros deal with her has been… enlightening.

The Overwatch League has been an interesting thing to follow. Ordinarily, I’m not all that into eSports, but my interest in the game of Overwatch fuels my investment into this series. And it’s actually pretty fun to watch. The skill of these people is on a level I could never dream of emulating, but I’ll be content with where I am. If you want to support your favorite team, you can sign into the game and get one free skin on a hero of your choice, supporting the team of your choice. Some of them look amazing, really. The Dynasty, blast them, has my favorite setup, with the black and gold color scheme of their skins. The Outlaws and Dragons also have pretty great ones, for the most part.

Further skins are purchased using tokens that you can buy. There isn’t a way to simply unlock them in the game, but I’m actually okay with that. It’s like buying a team jersey. I imagine they proceeds (or, at least a portion of them) actually go to the teams your supporting, which is cool. People have been complaining about the price point of these skins, but I’d point out that these aren’t exactly intended for you to go collecting all of them. You certainly can, but you’d better have some deep pockets if you intend to.

With the Overwatch League in full swing, which team(s) are you rooting for? What matchups are you most looking forward to? This is only the first week. We’ve got a ways to go, and it’s shaping up to be a wild ride. Meanwhile, Blizzard’s hard at work, keeping the game, itself, as fresh as possible. Another massive update is on the way, including the Blizzard World patch, which we know is happening soo. Plus, as far as we know, tons of new aesthetics are being added to the base lootbox. Anything in particular on your wishlist? I’m always down for more Widowmaker and Mei skins. Those would be nice. In the meantime, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading, folks. As always, keep up the awesome.

Take care,
C. Voyage

“Boop!”